An opt-in is often a condition to participation in a program, service, transaction, sale, discount, rebate or other offering. The term “opt-in” is used herein in a broad sense to refer to any election, authorization, consent, permission, agreement or approval.
Conventionally, an opt-in is an action by a person in response to a received request to the person asking for the opt-in as a condition to something next. In order to direct the request to the person, identity of the individual or of a device operated by the individual must be known. Such personal identifying information, however, can be subject to privacy and security requirements or restrictions. For instance, various laws, regulations and standards in the U.S., as well as various other countries, may restrict or limit access or use of certain information and require secure handling and transmission of such information. Also, contractual or other strictures may impose privacy or security obligations related to certain information. It would be advantageous, however, to direct a request for opt-in to a person or device when the individual or personal information is not identifiable or is restricted or subject to secrecy requirements.
A particular example, from among others, where personal identity and information are subject to secrecy and privacy requirements or restrictions is certain health care information. For example, the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, together with related privacy and security rules (HIPAA), established national standards in the U.S. for privacy and security of certain health information that is identifiable with a particular person. HIPAA generally applies to many health plans, clearinghouses and certain health care providers and related services transmitting health information in electronic form. Under HIPAA, “individually identifiable health information”, which includes information relating to physical or mental health and health care of an individual that can be used to identify the individual, can be subject to privacy and security restrictions as “protected health information” (PHI). PHI can include, as examples, name, address, birth date, Social Security Number, and the like.
Other laws, rules, standards, customs or trade practices can similarly apply in other industries or jurisdictions to various information transmitted or maintained. HIPAA, as well as certain others, establishes an opt-in regime for certain use or disclosure of PHI. Under the HIPAA opt-in regime, a Covered Entity (under the law) must obtain an opt-in permission from an individual in order to use or disclose PHI of the individual for payment, treatment or healthcare operations (i.e., a “consent”) and also for any marketing and other non-payment/treatment/healthcare operations use (i.e., an “authorization”). The opt-in permission may be a “consent” Similar opt-in regimes are required, or conventionally employed in any event, to obtain prior consent to use or disclosure of other personal information of individuals, such as, for example, financial information, electronic communications, wireless device location, cable subscriptions, computer security, video rentals, taxpayer information, and others.
The various opt-in laws, rules, standards, customs and practices pose a dilemma to individuals desiring access to new goods and services and options therefor, and to marketers of those various goods and services who wish to provide access to the individuals. In particular, because individually identifiable information may be restricted, that information may not be known for individuals in order to apprise them of availability of goods, services and options. Thus, the limited access to personal information of the individuals may prevent them from being made aware of goods, services and available options that would be desirable. More simply, it has not been possible to present an individual with a request for an opt-in to receive information of goods, services and available options, because of restrictions on access of the individual's personally identifiable information.
In the case of prescription drug benefits, as one non-exclusive example, a medical patient conventionally obtains a written (or an electronic or telephonic, as applicable) script for a prescription drug from a physician to address the patient's malady. The patient carries the written script to a pharmacy (or the physician communicates the electronic or telephonic script to the pharmacy, as applicable). The pharmacy fills the prescription. The patient makes payment and picks-up the prescription drug at the pharmacy. The price paid by the patient is the pharmacy's charge for the drug less any covered benefit under the patient's insurance. The pharmacy collects the covered benefit amount from the insurer. Streamline of this conventional prescription drug delivery process would benefit patients, and also pharmacies and other health providers. Moreover, patients, pharmacies and health providers would benefit if the patient is made aware of drugs and options, for example, other suitable drugs, discounts, and insurance benefits that may be available to the patient, as well as other possibilities.
In this conventional prescription drug delivery scheme, the pharmacist typically counsels the patient in proper use of the drug at point of pick-up by the patient at the pharmacy. During the patient's visit to the physician's office, the physician may also provide the patient with drug use and protocol instruction. These instructions (whether from pharmacist and/or physician) may be verbal, written, or combination. Typical instructions may include proper drug use procedures, regimen schedule, importance of regimen compliance, and others. After the patient's contact with the pharmacist and physician, the patient must retain and recollect the instructions, in whatever form received. Often, the patient's only next opportunity to confirm the instructions is a subsequent face-to-face contact with the physician or pharmacist, such as through a later physician office or pharmacy visit for a medication check-up or prescription refill.
Physicians, pharmacies, insurers, and other pharmaceutical and health providers are interested in targeting helpful and applicable information to prescription drug patients. Time and access constraints of these providers limit opportunity for disseminating such information to the patient. Benefit insurers, for example, wish to encourage patient compliance to drug therapy regimen and to promote healthy practices. Physicians desire greater access to patients for increased awareness of patient efforts and concerns during drug therapy, such as would assist improving and varying drug treatment as appropriate. Pharmacies similarly wish to assist patients by providing helpful targeted information, addressing patient questions, and promoting health and marketing initiatives.
Patients desire access to any special offers or discounts for specific prescription drugs, to uniquely targeted information to gain knowledge and assistance in medication therapy, proper drug usage and health practices, and to any available options therefor. Patient access to credible sources of information has conventionally been limited because periods of the patient's direct contact with physicians, pharmacists and other health providers are often time constrained. Patients, moreover, may not have ability to assess credibility of information that may be available from third party sources. Additionally, even where the patient has been provided credible relevant information (such as by physician, pharmacy or other reliable source), patients may misplace such information or tend to disregard the information if not readily and easily accessible. Targeted drug and health information, including discounts and other offers, uniquely relevant to the patient and applicable prescription, would be beneficial if readily accessible to patients.
Cellular telephones and other wireless devices are a prevalent mode of communication for many consumers. These consumers include prescription drug patients and patient caregivers. Cellular devices can provide features for voice calls, messaging, calendar, scheduling, Internet access, and other operations. Cellular telephones, for example, in addition to voice call capabilities, often have short message service (SMS), multimedia message service (MMS), enhanced message service (EMS), wireless access protocol service (WAP), and/or other messaging features for sending and receiving mobile text and multimedia communications.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide new and improved systems and methods for collecting opt-ins in view of privacy and other restrictions that may apply to individually identifiable information. It would also be desirable to provide new and improved systems and methods of requesting and collecting those opt-ins in view of restricted personal information. Additionally, it would be desirable to facilitate individuals in obtaining goods and services, such as prescription drugs, using most convenient modes of communication for the individuals.